Trauma surgeon detailed firefighters’ injuries from the William Spengler shooting

Both men are in Strong Hospital, guarded and said to be recovering well.

Dr. Nicole Stassen is a trauma surgeon at Strong Hospital, specifically the Kessler Burn and Trauma Center. She treated the two firefighters shot by William Spengler on Christmas Eve, these were her comments.

Joseph Hofstetter

“Unfortunately the Kessler Trauma Center is not a stranger to multiple victim causalities, particularly in the last number of years. We did get pre-notification that there were potentially multiple victims of penetrating injuries,” Stassen said.

Firefighter Joseph Hofstetter came in first, shot in the pelvis. Strassen discussed his emergency surgery explaining that the bullet that hit him is lodged in his spine and will likely never be removed.

Stassen said, “A lot of nerves run in that area from a bleeding perspective pelvis injuries can be significant.”

Firefighter Ted Scardino came in next.

Scardiono was shot in the left shoulder which broke his shoulder blade and then traveled into his lung. The man was also shot in the knee and will need to be considered for surgery at some point.

Ted Scardino

Dr. Stassen added Scardino also suffered some minor burns to the back of his head and on other parts of his body but nothing as serious as the gunshot wounds he sustained.

“His mental state would be what you would expect. He went to work not expecting anything and is now in our intensive care unit significantly injured. Both firefighters have been incredible but absolutely affected by what happened today,” Stassen said.